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03 November 2014
31 October 2014
Halloween - 1966
After the haul in Chapel Hill. The old man was in Vietnam and I'm guessing his six months was up with the A Team in the Central Highlands. That means a lot of heat was off while he cooled his heels with a C Team in Nha Trang. This Polaroid was mailed to him by my mother. I look at this picture and wonder what it was like for him to see something like this.
28 October 2014
27 October 2014
Andrew "Touch" Touchstone
Andrew K. Touchstone of, "The Main Line Sportsman" blog died at home suddenly on October 21st. I 'm not sure how but only want to know why… and how he put so much into a life? Andy, "Touch" to his friends and wife, made a living as a worker's compensation lawyer but he was also a boxing promoter, sport's agent, radio show host, hunter and fisherman, writer, jazz club owner and, most recently, my partner, as we started a business together based on a common interest.
Catching up with Touch reminds me of how little the rest of the world gets done in a day. Our conversation usually started with blogging but spiraled off into the evils of insurance companies, a new boxer, a hunting trip, Anita O'Day, my favorite, or Sinatra, his favorite "crooner" and which shopping center parking lot we'd met at for my ride to a steeple chase.
I'm not sure what his politics were but his heart was big and liberal. He tired of busting his ass defending thankless insurance companies and represented plaintiffs who Touch felt were a whole lot more grateful. That was the joy of his day job and it was underlined by a printer's union "bug" on his business cards.
Touch was friends with my first roommate in Philadelphia 27 years ago. He knew my boss and a co-worker at Aetna the same number of years ago. There was an eerie Philadelphia "Six Degrees of Separation" that Touch knocked me over with time and time again. I was terrified to bring up old girlfriends from those days for fear Touch would know them better than I ever did.
We huddled over cocktails. Touch, a rum and bourbon aficionado, tried to educate me while poo-poohing my Islay single malts claiming they were, "not unlike licking charcoal briquettes." He'd fire up another Parliament, take a long drag and smile while asking me if I missed the habit I gave up six years ago. Before the end of the night, I'd bum one or two despite the head rush just to enjoy the camaraderie of sharing tobacco with him.
I always called him Andy because he had this perpetual smile. To me, he "looked" like an Andy, if that's possible. Bubbly? Not so much. More like "burbly." Quick on the wit and faster with an opinion -- I loved his look on life as much as his take on assholes. Which brings me to a selfish conclusion -- Why is it that assholes seem to live forever while the good ones…Well, if you knew Andy, you know the rest.
24 October 2014
More Than This
I could feel at the time
There was no way of knowing
Fallen leaves in the night
Who can say where they're blowing
As free as the wind
And hopefully learning
Why the sea on the tide
Has no way of turning
More than this, there is nothing
More than this, tell me one thing
More than this, there is nothing
It was fun for a while
There was no way of knowing
Like dream in the night
Who can say where we're going
No care in the world
Maybe I'm learning
Why the sea on the tide
Has no way of turning
More than this, there is nothing
More than this, tell me one thing
More than this, there is nothing
23 October 2014
RIP Andrew K. Touchstone of Main Line Sportsman
Andrew K. Touchstone
April 1st, 1963 to October 21st, 2014
Ben Bradlee on Style
"I liked the word 'style.'
I like people with style,
with flair, with
signature qualities,
provided they have
more than style
and flair and
signature qualities."
Ben Bradlee
19 October 2014
Halloween Soundtrack
A favorite for background music on Halloween night. Start at 14:00 to skip Redford's lovely narration. Guaranteed to scare the crap outta Trick or Treaters when you open the door. Also, mesmerizing and strangely addictive.
17 October 2014
15 October 2014
Broccoli Holders & Cardholders
I had a client -- now a good friend -- who used the rubber band from Broccoli stalks to hold his credit cards. He also traveled across the US on $2.00 and is the cheapest and smartest man I know. Chuck would die laughing at a 44€ replacement for his rubber band but I like these sexy little cardholders from the little known French company of ideas, Striiiipes. Designed and made in Paris, what's not to like...
I've discussed Striiiipes before here and there. I've made a big deal of the owner, Arthur. And one day soon, I suspect, Striiiipes and Arthur will make it big and the dump trucks of cash will pull up to their doors. Until that day - however - they cannot be expected to go beyond a certain a point. Which means they sell out of stuff fast.
This magnificent little alligator number at 95€ is history.
There's a lot more out there for bet. 44 & 62€ but who knows for how long.
And that's what's great about Striiiipes. That what you buy isn't coming at you from every direction. The uniqueness of some every day tool that makes reaching into your pocket for a card that much more exciting. Well, exciting is probably the wrong word. "Awesome." That's the word. Overused hyperbole to define the understated and hushed quiet of gravitas. Thats the contrarian ticket I love. Which would fit into this cardholder but not broccoli
I've discussed Striiiipes before here and there. I've made a big deal of the owner, Arthur. And one day soon, I suspect, Striiiipes and Arthur will make it big and the dump trucks of cash will pull up to their doors. Until that day - however - they cannot be expected to go beyond a certain a point. Which means they sell out of stuff fast.
There's a lot more out there for bet. 44 & 62€ but who knows for how long.
And that's what's great about Striiiipes. That what you buy isn't coming at you from every direction. The uniqueness of some every day tool that makes reaching into your pocket for a card that much more exciting. Well, exciting is probably the wrong word. "Awesome." That's the word. Overused hyperbole to define the understated and hushed quiet of gravitas. Thats the contrarian ticket I love. Which would fit into this cardholder but not broccoli
13 October 2014
Columbus Day
It's been a journey of sorts. This year. On the road. Everyday it seems there's another fucking flat and the rubber on the tire is my soul. I mean, I'm not grey haired yet, but the tires do need changing. And so I put another set on; Good for 100,000 miles.
"I don't know if I'm depressed or just surrounded by assholes," reads a T-shirt in Daytona Beach. Understanding the past goes into every day of my future - I wonder if I'll appreciate life more by hating myself less. Or, is it the other way around? And will it fit on a T-shirt?
11 October 2014
Mission Statements Suck
Who cares where I've been. It's none of your business and I'm back as long as this is a pleasurable endeavor. I missed it here but it was impossible to write about chinos and button downs. I'm not really sure I still can. So, this will be a different blog with emphasis on the undiscovered and that doesn't mean camouflage.
I can't stand Mission Statements so I'll be blunt. I want to go down the roads less traveled. Shit, I want to hang out in Ghost Towns. I want to turn you onto the buried truffles of the world and I expect you to reciprocate in kind. Bring me what turns you on -- What no one knows about -- Even if it's your recipe for Fruit Cake.
10 October 2014
15 August 2014
The Beretta Gallery of New York City
Beretta employee, Moses Gutierrez with a 20 gauge Silver Pigeon 1 ( $2,240)
I first bumped into the NYC Beretta Gallery about five years ago. Town-housed among Manhattan's retail townhouses; Hermès, Etro, Longchamp, Chanel, and so many others…I was actually just looking for a pair of khakis. I pushed open the Beretta door, walked past security and was slapped in the face with racks and racks of obscenely beautiful apparel.
Wool and Waxed Cotton jacket in the Maremmana style ($1,295)
Moleskin suit with side vents (Jacket $535 Trousers $165)
Luckily I stumbled onto a sale -- Even better as I had a little money back then. There was a lot I should've bought that day but didn't and learned a lesson. Much of what you see in the NYC Gallery is unique to the store. Once it's gone, you may never see it again. Of course, I was here for a pair of khakis.
Second Floor
Looking back, it seems a shame shopping for khakis in Beretta -- Sort of like visiting Umbria on the wagon.
Competition Shooting
It's hard to describe just how diverse the gallery is. Roaming around on my last visit, I heard a man walk in and announce, "I've been invited to a shoot in Spain." I looked down from the second floor balcony and watched as the salesman sprung into action while those words, "I've been invited to a shoot…" bounced jealously between my ears.
Main Floor
While outdoor retailer's, Kevin's and Cabela's offer over the top decor, Beretta manages to pull off the outdoors aesthetic with understated elegance. Chalk it up to to Beretta's hometown of Brescia 'cause this ain't meatballs and gravy.
In store Italian made checks ($155)
Much of what is in the NYC Gallery is not on line and much of what is on line is not in the NYC Gallery. Still, a past visit to the Beretta website found an olive moleskin maremmana hunting jacket, sadly long gone, for a surprising $99.
In store Suede chukka ($423)
A women's wool felt cap made by Pennsylvania's Bollman Hat Company is currently on sale for $37.50 marked down from $75...
Beretta Sole
And a men's quilted waxed cotton biker jacket has been reduced from $595 to $279. 
Khakis ($75)
And at $75, they're made in the US and something of a surprise. I had mine cuffed and there was no extra charge.
That's the thing about Beretta. You can find a $20 ball cap...
Or, there's a $140 number that looks like a Vietnam boonie hat I lusted after when I was in the Army.
Field watches are reasonable…
Field Watches (Quartz $229 Automatic $389)
Women's Quilted Shooting Jacket ($875)
Women's Scarves ($895)
Carafe Gift Set ($149)
The engraved carafe and glasses are available in store and on-line...
Martini Pitcher $200
While the best looking cocktail pitcher I have ever seen is only in the store. A steal and you're only seeing it because I gave up martinis.
Ice Bucket $2,200
I haven't given up ice but the elephant foot ice bucket is a good example of Beretta's price swing.
And like the 32" barrels on the $2,000 Silver Pigeon, there's value in Beretta. It's under the radar for most NYC residents. Save those types who go shooting in Spain.
13 July 2014
09 July 2014
Shagging in the Past
Student
You've said that you regarded respectability as one of the
prime enemies of individualism. Do you regard love as
an enemy of individualism?
Faulkner
No, no -- What's love got to do with respectability?
I posted this video in April of 2012 with Al Green's lyrics. Seems appropriate to repost today.
I remember heading down to Myrtle Beach for a long weekend with two cars of Army buddies when I was stationed at Ft Bragg. I was 20 and wound up dancing with a frosted blonde in her forties. She had long pink nails and held a Schlitz 'Tall Boy' in one hand and an Eve cigarette in the other. She taught me how to shag.
The past is never dead. It's not even past. William Faulkner
08 July 2014
Is Turkey Red Too Red?
Back in the early 19th century, Turkey Reds, aka Adrianople Reds, were a madder based dye with Turkish origins. These patterns were only printed much later by an Alsatian who solved the problem of over printing on the intense color.
I'm way out of my comfort margin here but I love the patterns and if anything ever said, "Go to Hell," or worse, it's Turkey Red. I'm not a 100% on this but I'm thinking about it. With a black velvet dinner jacket at a New Year's party… I might. Would you?
07 July 2014
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